Teams & Riders Geraint Thomas

[MuskyOurSaviour]

Re:

He should have left Sky a long time ago if he wanted to win the TDF but salary/environment may not have been met at other teams

He was never strong enough to win the Tour to date, not once, he is looking by far in best shape this year and he likely is not gonna win anyway.

 

[Jacques (7 ch)]

Why has Gee not been going for the bonus seconds over the last couple of days? Do we think SDB has said ‘no farther, don’t get into yellow’?

 

[rick james]

Why has Gee not been going for the bonus seconds over the last couple of days? Do we think SDB has said ‘no farther, don’t get into yellow’?

if they had the choice they would have preferred to have been in yellow, first in the car convoy

 

[gavin]

Re:

Thomas will not go rogue. The decision to elevate him will be made by Sir Dave, if circumstances require it. Thomas will be a Captain next year, somewhere, no matter whether he drags Froome to the top or is freed up in the mountains to ride on his own and does well in the final GC. He's not a Kreuziger!

I don't think he can go rogue. If he's in a group ahead he'll go for it, that what he's said all along. It'd be interesting though if Froome is in the group behind and has Sky riders to chase. On the one hand they'll be chasing one of their own but on the other he's in a perfect position to just shrug and says, "sorry guys, can't work with you" and conserves his energy for the end.

The dream scenario for him is to put over a minute into some big rivals tomorrow and then ride defensively through the mountains. Pity it's not raining tomorrow though.

Those that say he's never looked like winning miss the times when he's had bad luck (unless you're taking his bad luck into account ) or had to work for others. I think he would have run Dumoulin close in the Giro last year and I can see him making the podium from here.

 

[Cookster15]

Re: Re:

He should have left Sky a long time ago if he wanted to win the TDF but salary/environment may not have been met at other teams

He was never strong enough to win the Tour to date, not once, he is looking by far in best shape this year and he likely is not gonna win anyway.

Regardless how he looks I will be very, very surprised if he manages even top 10. Thomas has never finished higher than 15th in a Grand Tour. He can do one-off great mountain stages but simply does not have the required recovery. If he truly had the ability all this hype suggests than at 32 years of age we would have seen it already.

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

He should have left Sky a long time ago if he wanted to win the TDF but salary/environment may not have been met at other teams

He was never strong enough to win the Tour to date, not once, he is looking by far in best shape this year and he likely is not gonna win anyway.

Regardless how he looks I will be very, very surprised if he manages even top 10. Thomas has never finished higher than 15th in a Grand Tour. He can do one-off great mountain stages but simply does not have the required recovery. If he truly had the ability all this hype suggests than at 32 years of age we would have seen it already.

He was fourth on GC, 18 stages in 2015. Why is it so unthinkable that after having worked specifically to become a Grand Tour rider (which he hadn't done before that, mind) he shouldn't be able to last the extra two days?

 

[janraaskalt]

Re: Re:

Regardless how he looks I will be very, very surprised if he manages even top 10. Thomas has never finished higher than 15th in a Grand Tour. He can do one-off great mountain stages but simply does not have the required recovery. If he truly had the ability all this hype suggests than at 32 years of age we would have seen it already.

He was fourth on GC, 18 stages in 2015. Why is it so unthinkable that after having worked specifically to become a Grand Tour rider (which he hadn't done before that, mind) he shouldn't be able to last the extra two days?

This. How long is he aiming for a GC in a GT, 3 years? And how many times he could try that without accidents, zero? I am not saying he will win this Tour, but stating that he won't get a top 10 because he never did is strange. There's a first time for everything.

 

[oldcrank]

I'd imagine the data collected on stage 6 of the Dauphine
where SuperG distanced his GC rivals with a fine push to
the finish will prove invaluable in the planning of stage 11
tactics. Nice to recon a Tour stage under race conditions.

 

[janraaskalt]

I'd imagine the data collected on stage 6 of the Dauphine
where SuperG distanced his GC rivals with a fine push to
the finish will prove invaluable in the planning of stage 11
tactics. Nice to recon a Tour stage under race conditions.

These perfectly aligned posts are pure art

 

[Son of Amsterhammer]

G is looking good. Long way to go though! We’ll know if it’s realistic in 48hrs

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

So far so good. The fact he hasn't fallen yet is incredible in it's own. He looked at ease even when Bernal upped the pace

 

[Valv.Piti]

People called for tobydawg to get drug tested and hospitalized after he said he thought Thomas could win, but he could actually be Froome's biggest competitor...

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

People called for tobydawg to get drug tested and hospitalized after he said he thought Thomas could win, but he could actually be Froome's biggest competitor...

Did they now?

I didn't adhere to their suggestions.

 

[oldcrank]

I'd imagine the data collected on stage 6 of the Dauphine
where SuperG distanced his GC rivals with a fine push to
the finish will prove invaluable in the planning of stage 11
tactics. Nice to recon a Tour stage under race conditions.

 

[DBotero]

Thomas at his best ever.Let's see if he can keep it at this level.

 

[King Boonen]

The dragon spreads its wings.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

This just makes me think, it's very likely he would have won the 2017 Giro without that fall.

 

[movingtarget]

The race is only half over. But he looks good so far obviously.

 

[Poursuivant]

Re:

This just makes me think, it's very likely he would have won the 2017 Giro without that fall.

I think he is stronger here then last years Giro. He can definitely win this race, but it must be in the back of his mind, how he is liable to have a bad day.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

People called for tobydawg to get drug tested and hospitalized after he said he thought Thomas could win, but he could actually be Froome's biggest competitor...

Just quoting myself here.......

 

[Serpentin]

What`s up with the glasses ? He looks like Laurent Brochard.

 

[Leinster]

Re:

This just makes me think, it's very likely he would have won the 2017 Giro without that fall.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say “likely.” Dumoulin was on another level from the competition, and Landa apart, Thomas didn’t have Sky’s A-Train in support.

 

[oldcrank]

I always love it when trackies do well on the road, whether it is
monuments, classics, grand tour podiums or stages. If a track
rider wins on the Alpe tomorrow, and I am not really expecting
that to happen, it won't be the first time. A great rider that has
won a silver in the points race in the world championships and
has ridden the Team Pursuit for his nation at the Euros, World
Cup and Olys also has two Tour stage wins on two epic climbs.
That's if you consider Ax 3 Domaines and Alpe d'Huez epic.
edit: I almost forgot he also has a madison silver at the worlds.
And our Super-G has a madison silver from the worlds as well,
to go with all his Olympic and world champs team pursuit golds.

 

[myrideissteelerthanyours]

I always love it when trackies do well on the road, whether it is
monuments, classics, grand tour podiums or stages. If a track
rider wins on the Alpe tomorrow, and I am not really expecting
that to happen, it won't be the first time. A great rider that has
won a silver in the points race in the world championships and
has ridden the Team Pursuit for his nation at the Euros, World
Cup and Olys also has two Tour stage wins on two epic climbs.
That's if you consider Ax 3 Domaines and Alpe d'Huez epic.
edit: I almost forgot he also has a madison silver at the worlds.
And our Super-G has a madison silver from the worlds as well,
to go with all his Olympic and world champs team pursuit golds.

He is just that type of rider like Merckx (7 x Belgian Madison Champ)

 

[starlord]

Re:

This just makes me think, it's very likely he would have won the 2017 Giro without that fall.

He did look in a similar shape so yes it's quite possible. In a way, Kelderman did the best domestique job he could have done when he sent him home.